Further memorandum from Head, Parliamentary
Relations Team, Foreign and Commonwealth Office
HUMAN RIGHTS
INQUIRY—FAC QUESTIONS:
CLUSTER MUNITIONS
In my letter of 28 May I undertook to write
further after the Dublin Diplomatic Conference on cluster munitions,
following up my answer below.
"Does the M85 sub-munition fall outside
the Government's definition of "dumb" cluster munitions
given its self-destruct mechanism?
The UK variant of the M85 sub-munition does fall
outside the Government's definition of a basic or "dumb"
cluster munition because of its self-destruct mechanism.
Final negotiations on a text of an international
Convention on cluster munitions are taking place in Dublin (19-30
May). I will write to you again after the Diplomatic Conference
in Dublin to let you know the outcome of these negotiations".
As the Prime Minister announced on 28 May, and
Lord Malloch-Brown confirmed in the House of Lords on 3 June (Hansard
Columns 78-80), the United Kingdom has withdrawn from service
all its cluster munitions. This includes the M85 sub-munition.
The conference ended on 30 May with the adoption
of the text of a new Convention on Cluster Munitions, a copy of
which I enclose, and which is available on the conference website:
http://www.clustermunitionsdublin.ie/pdf/ENGLISHfinaltext.pdf.
Under the new Convention the M85 sub-munition is prohibited.
Richard Cooke
Head, Parliamentary Relations Team
9 June 2008
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